Ephesians 6:24 – Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
As with many of his letters, Paul ends with the grace of God and the words, “Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.” This “love incorruptible” is love that is pure and perfect. In a corrupt society, God’s love could not be corrupted.
Grace is a driving theme in Paul’s ministry and in this letter in particular. He begins with grace (Ephesians 1:2), teaches on grace (Ephesians 1:6, 7), notes salvation as being by God’s grace (Ephesians 2:5, 7, 8; 3:2), calls himself a minister of God’s grace (Ephesians 3:7, 8), teaches grace is given as a gift (Ephesians 4:7), words are to give grace to others (Ephesians 4:29), and ends here with giving grace to all believers.
Paul had personally experienced God’s grace to receive salvation (Acts 9), and committed the rest of his life to communicating this wonderful plan of salvation (Romans 1:16) to others.
Ephesians 6:21–24 completes Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus. He has just described our tools of spiritual warfare, using the analogy of a soldier’s armor. He has also reminded Christians of the importance of prayer in our moment-by-moment discipleship with Christ. In these closing verses, Paul will explain his plans to send Tychicus, one of his long-serving assistants, to deliver both this letter and additional news.
Paul gives specific instructions to children and fathers, stressing obedience and patience, respectively. He also directs servants to serve with sincerity and good intentions, as if they were working for Christ. Masters are warned not to be harsh: the same God who judges all will not give them preference over those they supervised. All Christians are called on to use the tools given us by God for surviving the attacks of the devil. These are imagined as pieces of a suit of armor. Paul ends this letter in his typical style, with prayer, blessings, and news about his plans.
